WORST. CHEERLEADERS. EVER.

After watching them in action last week, I was embarrassed on behalf of the university.

Serious athletic cheerleading began popping up across North America in the 1980s. The majority of us got our first taste of this more gymnastic style with Bring It On’s release in 2000. And to its credit, Ryerson’s own club of high kickers has garnered second place finishes at the Ontario regional cheerleading competition and two top 10 placings at the national level since 2004.

And apparently, now they’re too good to actually cheer for any of our varsity teams. Last Friday I went to watch the women’s and men’s volleyball teams square off against Western.

Our cheer club didn’t bother showing up for the women’s match, but graced us with their presence during the more “high profile” men’s game. Although neither the crowd’s or our mascot Eggy’s repeated begging could get them off their asses.

As fans in the stands began chanting “Go Rams Go” during tight spots in the game, the cheer club used their plastic blue and yellow signs as arm rests and chin props. When the crowd cheered, stomped their feet and clapped during exciting plays, the cheer club talked amongst themselves, casually watching the game with the enthusiasm you’d expect to see in a calculus lecture.

Our cheerleaders showed zero sign of life until after the men’s second set, when they performed a shaky and incredible dull routine to Sexyback. It was the same story on Saturday when a handful showed up to stand on the sidelines during the men’s game against Windsor (although they left well before women’s basketball).

It wasn’t the repeated falls that had me turning red. Kudos to anyone with enough guts to be launched into the air in a mini skirt, but what kind of cheerleaders flat out refuse to cheer? At this point, I’m not even asking for them to lead cheers, just participate. Or at least leave if they can’t stiffle a yawn.

Rumour has it the squad wants varsity status. Sounds great. But they’d better start supporting their fellow Rams, like other athletes do for other teams, especially given that they are — to point out the obvious